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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#33: Bad Hair Day

The best stories are the ones that make us feel something; the ones that tap into some kind of universal emotion or experience. And there is one feeling that stands out as being particularly universal. More than joy, sadness, fear, or love. More than the excited nerves of a first day at school, or the sweet relief of a spring breeze after a long winter. Something that connects us all is the feeling of... a bad haircut.

This week, your challenge is to write a story that evokes the feelings of a bad hair cut. (Whether or not your story involves this actual plot is up to you!)

This week's prompts

Write a story about a character who can't make up their mind about something.

Character – 64 stories

Write a story about a character who's too polite to tell someone they don't like a gift given to them.

Funny – 49 stories

Write a story about a character making a big change.

Teens – 65 stories

Write a story set in a salon or barbershop.

Fiction – 70 stories

Write a story about miscommunication.

Fiction – 48 stories

Stories

“The Choice” by Esther H

Submitted to Contest #33

Oasis sighed as she stared at the papers in her hand. They were the choices she had for a soulmate. If she didn't choose soon then the Selector would choose for her, and she wanted to be the one to pick. One of the choices was Danny Wellington. Danny was medium height, with long, almost shoulder-length, brown hair, and deep green eyes that could see into your soul. Her other choice was Alec Westfield. Alec's real name was Alexander, but nobody ever called him that. He had light blond hair that was usually spiked up in typical Alec style. Al...

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“Men or Dogs” by Synia Sidhe

Submitted to Contest #33

"What's the matter?" Dacon slurped around the milky noodles as he eyed Nessa, which made his already thick accent almost unintelligible. If Nessa hadn't acclimated to his voice after spending hours every night talking to him until she fell asleep over the phone, she'd have no idea what he was saying. Nessa poked at her meatball, which caused it to roll off of the heap of spaghetti and into the moat of mariana around the noodles. Someone using the drink fountain kicked the leg of her chair, jostling her. Dacon held his fork out like a s...

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“Entangled hair” by Sahina Sherchan

Submitted to Contest #33

She said she liked my hair. With each passing second, I grow more and more entangled into this relationship. It’s a weight I’ve carried with me for years and only now I’ve figured it out. I sit here in this coffee shop, neighbouring a salon I am too scared to go into. Facing the window, I watch strangers pass me by. I can see when people go into the salon. The salon’s light is so luminescent, I see their shadows move before I see them enter or exit. The salon is only a few steps away, but I don’t know if I can count any more. You lose yourse...

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“Scrumptious” by Corbin O'Skinny

Submitted to Contest #33

“It’s the farmer!” Mopsy exclaimed to her boyfriend. She gazed over at the cottontail on the other side of their pine trees, eyes wide with glee. Cinnamon’s ears twisted around this way and that. He checked for predators but didn’t expect to hear any. The garden down their row of pines at the corner of the farmer’s home was pretty safe while the sun was out. Every Saturday, one of the farmers would come out and deposit compost in their garden. Trees surrounded acres of corn. Mrs. farmer grew a few of her favorites, like strawberr...

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“When?” by Maggie Curtis

Submitted to Contest #33

The light turned his eyelids red and he slowly opened them, letting it in. The sun was shining over his impeccably white sheets. Sighing, he laid for a moment longer, realizing today wasn’t the right day. It was far too nice out now to give up. Well, to be fair, he’d given up a long time ago, hadn’t he? That was beside the point. Today wasn’t a good day, he’d have to try again tomorrow. Alex rolled out of bed, his neck aching. He knew he slept most nights with his shoulders up to his ears. His doctor told him it was anxiety, maybe he should ...

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“To be or not to be?” by Lois Beloved

Submitted to Contest #33

Retta glanced out of the rained-splattered, kitchen window, through its age-old cracks and neatly painted sill. The weather was as cold and as dreary as it had been for weeks. Its gloom reflected Retta’s mood. Tapping her slender finger nervously on the counter, she returned her attention to the menacing pile of forms lumped in front of her. She’d been avoiding them for several weeks now, unable to find the courage for confrontation. But not today. ‘I can do this,’ she resolved. ‘It’s just a few little signatures.’Retta’s determination, howe...

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“One of those days.” by Avram Andrei

Submitted to Contest #33

I knew it was going to be one of those days from the moment I woke up. Bleary eyed, I got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen for my everyday morning glass of water. I didn’t bother to turn on the living room light but it still came as a surprise when I kicked the table leg. I don’t know what kind of cruel god has a lifetime feud with my little finger but he was hard at work this morning. Cursing loudly, I jumped around on one leg like one of those plastic toys that work by turning the key lodged in their backs. Misses Winkles hissed a...

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“Herbert Gossamer’s Wife” by Jack Nickolac

Submitted to Contest #33

Hebert Gossamer stared at his wife, tears forming in his eyes as he looked up and down her emaciated frame. As of today, she had two, three weeks at best, although in her state she looked as though she had already died. Her lips cracked and thin, her skin ashen, her eyes sunk deep into the cavities of their sockets, Mrs. Gossamer looked like a corpse that had been dug up and placed onto a hospital bed. He hardly recognized her. The woman he had been married too for seven years, who’s face he had studied, memorized every crease, freckle and c...

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“A Scar on the Soul” by A. A. Thakre

Submitted to Contest #33

They had huddled together again just like yesterday, masking the presence of the one at the center. Whenever there is a crowd some sort of fun is happening and Vivek was not the kind to skip on little joy. His disgusted face, however, told a different story for the one hemmed in between was a helpless kid. He knew the kid. Was it his problem that he knew? Not like he went out to get acquainted. It just happened to be Vivek and the kid were together for a year, back in school days but that was a long time ago. Five years? No, it was six. Vive...

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“The Light She Gave Away” by Alyssa Rivera

Submitted to Contest #33

"What do I do?"Silence. Stillness. I had to ask.--"Please, mom."My mom and I had always been close. I idolized her. She was strong and gentle, outspoken and kind. She was practical.Due dates marked on the calendar, checks sent in the mail two weeks before they're due. She's one of those people that doesn't hesitate to call customer service when she doesn't understand something, and by the end, they'd thank her genuinely for calling. That's never been me.I learned early on my dad was more of a follower. Laid-back, go with the flow. My mom lov...

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“A Flower That Blossomed With Curtains Drawn” by Esme Vazquez

Submitted to Contest #33

A pattern blossomed across her bed sheets, bright flower mandalas, a hippie aesthetic busy with positivity. The vibrancy of the pattern seemed to exude the rose scent that gently lingered in the air of the space. The glower of an essential oil diffuser nearby changed every few seconds, cycling through the colors of the rainbow. Its presence was the only continually shifting force. This contrast made the rest of the room appear cold, frozen even, as it attempted to stay positive. The room struggled, as her curtains were drawn perpetually, blo...

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“Crowd Control” by Chris Diana

Submitted to Contest #33

A sound like a great trumpet blaring was carried on the brisk wind. At first, I thought it to be coming from one the many steel birds that carried passengers across the sky, but it did not fade and continued in its adulated roar from some unseen location. I craned my head from the balcony of my modest, multi-family habitation, but it was impossible to discern its location, even by sound, for its wail was caught between the smooth gray exterior walls of the near by dwelling places. My only assumption was that a great labor was underway, utili...

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“T.P. or Not T.P.” by Tammy Letart

Submitted to Contest #33

T.P. or Not T.P. Corona, mmm, I've always been more of a Sailing’ with the Captain’ kind of girl myself, yet more so in these middle-aged years that I’m in now. I have found that a nice glass of Chardonnay, Pinot, or Cabernet seems to be more socially acceptable for a woman of my ripe “old age” of forty-six to be drinking. Regardless, someone always has some critical thing to say about someone else. One cannot seem to mind their own business, until their own business is threatened. Which really has no precedence, in the subject at...

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“Cat Got Your Tongue” by Brooke Gardner

Submitted to Contest #33

Margaret Lucinda Brennan was so excited that day, it was difficult to sit still. She always felt like a bee constantly buzzing from wonderful flower, to gorgeous flower. She felt so adult (startlingly) and so childlike at the same time. She was at the beginning, and though she felt forever away from her destination, she felt like she was standing next to it already. It was all very mind-numbing, jubilant, and progressive. She was an adult. She had finally moved out of her hometown of Tazewell, Virginia and was ready for a new adventure. Thou...

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“Hideous” by Daisy Collins

Submitted to Contest #33

“Go on, open it!” Rose crows, hopping excitedly from one foot to the other. I grin at her excitement; her trip to Mauritius has done her the world of good. Her skin is simply glowing, her smile radiant. I tear my eyes away from her flushed cheeks and focus on the squishy package she’s just handed me. Wrapped in simple brown paper, the contents are a mystery. I slip a finger under the flap and start ripping. Each tear exposes a new colour, a new pattern, a new texture… I’m baffled until the garment is fully exposed.“It was handmade by the loc...

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$50

Prize money

296

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 20, 2020 EST

Won by Phoebe Barr 🏆

Title: Pennies and Years

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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